The Axon Cause
by darkestboy
Summary: The Doctor and Lucie do battle with the Master and the Axons. Set after Doctor Who: The Movie of course.


**Name:** The Axon Cause  
**Characters: **8th Doctor, Lucie Miller, The Master, Axons  
**Synopsis: **On a cold, distant planet called Trevolus, the Axons have arrived bearing a gift that will help the planet in many ways. The Doctor and his companion, Lucie Miller, are naturally suspicious, even more so when it seems that the Master is working with the Axons once again. Set after _Doctor Who: The Movie_ of course.

_Some lessons are never learnt. Another fine mess I've gotten myself into_.

This was something the Master had mused to himself during his latest spell of captivity. Escaping the Eye Of Harmony and the Doctor was one thing, but escaping the wrath of an alien race who didn't abhor violence was another.

The Master had been a dab hand at allying himself with other races when he needed to, but loyalty to them wasn't usually his strongest of points. In his own defence, he did notice that it was something that often went both ways. He'd deceive alien races he was working with, they'd deceive him right back. Tit for tat and so on.

Or in some circumstances, they'd grab him when he least expected it for payback. The last thing he remembered was that he had fallen through time, nearing the edge of a black hole about to face death yet again when a transmat beam had locked onto him and pulled him away and not a moment too soon. He was grateful for the rescue, until he saw who his rescuers were.

"Oh," he had mumbled feebly, looking at a familiar race that had now surrounded him in their vessel.

"Escape is useless, Time Lord," the head Axon had spoken angrily.

"I'm not the Doctor," the Master tried flim flam tactics. "I'm just an ordinary man."

"We know who you are, Master," a female voice had spoken up. "Latest regeneration?"

"I really don't know what you're talking about," the Master continued with his denial.

Unfortunately for him, the patience of the Axons wasn't at an all time high. Clearly they were still smarting from their last encounter. The Master felt a kaleidoscope of pain rush through his head, making him scream in agony.

"Lies are useless," the lead Axon said sinisterly. "This regeneration is more deceptive than you last form."

"He used to be an ambulance driver," the Master said, unsure of as to why he did. He would normally never reveal such knowledge to anyone.

"You murdered him," another male voice had spoken.

"He didn't feel a thing," the Master lied. He was more than sure that Bruce felt a lot of things as he was dying. "What are you going to do with me?"

"That has yet to be decided," the lead Axon said. "For the time being however you are our prisoner."

Before the Master could try and move, tendrils from the walls and ground had snaked around his arms and wrists, keeping him in a firm position. One snaked around his mouth as well before he could protest, keeping him silent. The Axons watched him struggle for a few moments before leaving the room.

As the door closed, the Master sighed. To him, right now, he should be ruling dominion over the galaxies rather than having to wait to find out how a vengeful race were going to deal with him. The Axons had power over him once, there was no way he was going to allow them to do it a second time.

The TARDIS whirred as it finally landed. Lucie stepped out, only for the shuddering cold and severe wind to send her bolting back in. She shivered, almost to the Doctor's amusement.

"I'm glad you find this amusing," Lucie growled, between chatters. "Let's see how you fare in the cold."

"Thought you might say something like that," the Doctor smiled as he threw her a parka before putting on his own. "Here's one I made earlier."

"Hilarious," Lucie smirked. At times, the Doctor really could be hilarious.

"Quite," the Doctor returned the smirk as the both of them stepped out of the TARDIS together. "Now what do we have here?"

Even with parkas, the cold and wind were still relentless for the both of them. Lucie noticed that even the Doctor's teeth were beginning to chatter.

"I told you it was cold," Lucie said, between chattered teeth. "Maybe we should leave. Go somewhere warmer."

The Doctor hadn't listened to her. Instead his eyes averted to the sky. The night sky with its beautiful cascade of colour and light, sort of similar but even more stunning the likes of the Aurora Borealis.

"You're not listening to a word I'm saying, are you?" Lucie asked as she began to look up at the sky. "It's beautiful."

"I'm sorry?" the Doctor asked, genuinely not hearing a word that she had said.

"I said it's beautiful," Lucie repeated in a louder voice. Due to the winds, she found that she was shouting. "Can't we see this from up there, preferably before either one of us gets frostbite?"

"I think if we do," the Doctor murmured, "we might end up missing this."

"Missing what?" Lucie asked and then she saw for herself.

Among all of the lights in the sky, one seemed like it burned. From her viewpoint, it looked like a spaceship, one that was directly heading for this planet. At first it seemed to move slowly but then it seemed to gather speed.

"Doctor, is that?" Lucie began, not sure what she was going to ask. The Doctor looked at her acknowledging.

Their eyes gazed as the ship had then crashed but it was far away from them.

"Oh God," Lucie murmured. "Those people, aliens. Doctor, we have to help."

"Yes we do."

The Doctor headed back into the TARDIS. Lucie didn't have to be told to follow him, she just did.

As the doors closed, the Doctor set the co-ordinates and headed in the direction of the crash site. He knew there was a good chance that there would be no survivors but Lucie was right — he had to help. He also knew that there was a risk that if there were survivors, they might not be friendly but then, the Doctor was still unsure if the inhabitants of this planet were friendly as well.

As the TARDIS landed, the Doctor and Lucie could hear noises. There was a crowd of aliens, half-human looking with purple tinted skin and hair colour ranging from reds to brunettes and blondes. The Doctor and Lucie immerse themselves in the crowd. They noticed that the ship was intact as well.

"What's happening?" Lucie asked a young alien man. "I'm Lucie and this is the Doctor."

"I can help," the Doctor said, showing himself to the young man.

"Very nice to meet you both," the alien smiled, shaking her hand. "I'm Nikras. As for what's going on, we've got visitors. I guess they got delayed but with that display in the sky, it was hard not to notice them."

"Visitors?" the Doctor asked.

As the door of the ship opened, the Doctor saw two of the visitors that Nikras had seemed so pleased to see, that everyone excluding him had seem so pleased to see. Lucie immediately picked up on his discomfort.

"Citizens of Trevolus, we are the Axons," the lead had smiled. "And we are here to bear a special gift for such a deserving planet."

"Doctor, what is it?" Lucie asked. "Who are they?"

"Axons," the Doctor told her, slightly moving back in an attempt to fade into the background. "And they're not to be trusted."

The Master still struggled in his bonds, wondering what was going on outside. He was wondering why the Axons hadn't killed him. Maybe they were testing him, trying to play mind games with him. Then a female Axon entered the room and waved her arm at one of the tendrils.

"Let him speak," she commanded as the tentacle around the Master's mouth released itself from him.

"You could always let me go," the Master said, suggestively, even flirting with her. "I'll make it look like I escaped on my own accord."

"I'm well aware of your abilities of getting out of tough situations, Master," the Axon replied dispassionately. "We're not done with you by a long stretch."

"Might I ask what you plan to do with me?" the Master asked. "Whatever I may have done, it was the Doctor who was responsible for putting you in that loop, not me."

"He will be dealt with in due course."

"Good luck finding him," the Master snorted. "He's too elusive for his own good."

"Not that elusive," the Axon smiled, knowing that she had gotten one up on the evil Time Lord. "Did you not know?"

"Know what?"

"He's here," the Axon smiled. "I can feel it. He's close. Probably determined to turn the people of Trevolus against us but he will not succeed. The inhabitants on this planet are far more desperate than his beloved Earthlings."

"Something which you undoubtedly are going to play to your own advantage," the Master smiled, impressed by this. He did enjoy a good scheme. "I'm guessing I'm about to have company then."

"Oh yes," the Axon smiled. "The two most dangerous Time Lords in our possession. We'll take those secrets of time travel that you both denied us. Then we'll kill you and that, we do not need luck for."

"I wouldn't be so sure -" the Master protested as he was stopped mid-sentence.

"You talk far too much, Time Lord," the female Axon, gesturing the tendril to wrap itself around the Master's mouth again. "Still, at least you'll die contributing to the Axon cause. That will more than make for your previous misdeeds."

As the Axon left the room and the Master was left alone once again, he found himself wishing that the Doctor would be able to stay as far away from the Axons as he possibly could. But he knew the Doctor all too well and he knew that soon enough, he would be getting a cell mate. Something about that made him smile. With the Doctor, his chances of escaping from this mess had suddenly increased. And if he could cause a little chaos along the way, all the better.

Lucie turned to the man who said that the Axons couldn't be trusted and asked, "What do you mean they can't be trusted?"

"They came to Earth in the 1970's, during my UNIT days and when I looked a bit more, well, dandyish I suppose," the Doctor said. "They said they had gifts. They lied."

"Speaking of that," a voice had interrupted them. The Doctor and Lucie looked at the Axons again.

"With us, we have brought, Axonite," the male Axon had said. "This will save your planet in many ways."

"Such as?" an onlooker had dared to ask the visitors. "It doesn't look like much to me."

"Appearances can be deceptive," another Axon had replied. She then picked up a small flower that was barely surviving the cold snow. "For example, mixing Axonite with this dying flower."

"Poor choice of words," Lucie muttered, turning to the Doctor. "What does that stuff really do?"

Before the Doctor could give her an answer, Lucie had seen for herself the effects of Axonite as the small flower had then sprouted into something much larger and more vibrant. She had to admit that in spite of the Doctor's vague warning of Axonite, she was impressed herself with what she had witnessed.

"It's a miracle," an older woman, one of the Trevolus inhabitants had said, touching the flower. "I don't understand."

"It's very simple," the lead Axon had said, before deciding to change the subject. "And for a planet, with your poor vegetation, might I say necessary too."

"I wouldn't say that," the Doctor muttered under his breath, looking for an official figure, he could pull aside and talk to.

"However before I can reveal more, I have to ask — why is there a traitor in your midst?" the male Axon had asked, catching everyone off guard. "Who allowed the Doctor and his lady companion to be present at this meeting?"

Lucie suddenly felt dread. She had no time to react before being grabbed by two of the women standing behind her.

"Let her go," the Doctor demanded. It was a demand that fell on deaf ears.

"Get off me," Lucie protested. The Doctor was then grabbed by two of the stronger men and held into position.

"You knew I was coming," the Doctor grunted, trying to get free. "How?"

"I had hoped on it," the male Axon smiled. "You and I have unfinished business, Doctor."

"Then let's sort it out," the Doctor offered. "No need to get these people involved."

"I'm sorry, Doctor," the Axon continued. "But I'm here on a selfless endeavour for the people of Trevolus. Your crimes will have to be dealt with much later. Bring them inside the ship please."

The Doctor and Lucie were then dragged into the ship, struggling to get free. As they were tossed in, the four people who had brought them in quickly left the vessel. The door quickly closed behind them.

Lucie slammed the door furiously with her fists before giving it a kick. The Doctor tried his sonic screwdriver on the door to no avail.

"Deadlocked," he muttered. "We're trapped."

"Now, what do we do?" Lucie asked in frustration, before hearing a faint muffle. "Do you hear something?"

The muffling got considerably louder. The Doctor could just about make out that underneath it, his name was being called.

"This way," he pointed to Lucie as they began to head down a corridor. Someone who knew him needed his help. He was curious to find out who the very person was.

Surprisingly the door blocking him and the captive was a lot easier to open. Both the Doctor and Lucie gave each other a suspicious look before the former came face to face with the person who had been calling out for him. For the Doctor, it certainly wasn't the most reassuring of faces.

"Should've realised that it would be you behind this door," the Doctor muttered as he saw the Master held firmly in position. "Lucie, stay back."

Using the sonic screwdriver to drive away the tendril away from his old friend's mouth, the Doctor looked suspiciously as the Master gasped, grateful to have the thing out of his mouth. "I've been looking for you," the Doctor said. "Ever since you escaped the Eye Of Harmony."

"As you can see, I've been a bit detained," the Master quipped dryly, indicating his bonds. "Now, let me loose."

"What are you doing here?"

"Never mind that, Doctor," the Master urged his old friend. "Release me before they come back. If you don't, they're gonna kill us both."

The Doctor paused for a second. He didn't trust the Master, not by long stretch but he had to also admit that the Master was probably telling the truth about the Axons. He wouldn't be able to do much good for the people of Trevolus if he was held up in this spaceship with his old enemy.

"Is anyone gonna do the introductions here?" Lucie asked, while still keeping her distance but looking at the Master with suspicion. "Who are you?"

"Latest travelling addition?" the Master sneered, indicating the girl. "You really do know how to pick them, don't you?"

Lucie ignored the urge to comment back. Before she could said anything, tendrils snaked around her arms and legs, keeping her still and in place.

"Doctor," she called, struggling in her restraints. His immediate response was to dash to her, much to the Master's disdain.

"I wouldn't if I were you," a female Axon said, interrupting the Doctor as she entered the room. "Grab him."

Tendrils then snaked around the Doctor's body, arms and legs, keeping him as restricted as the Master and Lucie currently. He struggled against them but found they had no give in them.

"We've been waiting for you, Doctor," the Axon smiled. "How fortuitous it is of us to have captured both you and the Master without even having to try."

"I'll show you what fortuitous really is," the Master snarled angrily, as he unsuccessfully attempted to lunge at the Axon. "I'll also show you what danger really means my dear."

"You'll do no such thing, Master," the Axon dismissed him casually.

"This won't hold me forever," the Doctor said, trying to use his sonic screwdriver against the tendrils. The Axon snatched it from his hands and crushed it on the floor with her foot.

"We don't need forever, Doctor," the Axon said. "Just for a while. Within the next few hours, this planet will be our new world and you and the Master will give us the secrets of time travel."

"Wrong again," the Doctor said. "I will stop you. This planet won't die because of you."

"Not this time," the Axon smiled. "Enjoy your last few hours, Time Lords. Afterwards, you'll be no more."

As the Axon left the room, shutting it behind her, and Lucie had asked what they were going to do, the Doctor and the Master gave each other a look. They knew what they would have to do. They'd have to work with each other because in spite of their differences, beliefs and morality, there was no way they could stop the Axons without each other's help.

Nikras pondered at the visitors as they were preparing the Axonite. It was amazing to see that something that looked relatively benign could have such an impact on a dying flower.

For months, Trevolus had been suffering due to the bitter cold. Granted the planet always snowed and Nikras and his race had the kind of skin that the cold bore no effect on but their crops weren't as lucky and they were beginning to feel it. There was barely enough food to survive on. The Axonite could change all of that but Nikras had to admit to himself that he was uncertain.

"This Axonite," Nikras had to ask the visitors. "Is it safe? I mean, if it's used on our crops, it's not going to make them poisonous to eat, is it?"

"The Axonite is completely safe," the female Axon smiled at him. "I can understand your reservations but Axonite's only purpose to help not to harm."

"And the Doctor?" Nikras asked again. "Is he harmful? What exactly did he do to you?"

"We came to Earth a couple of years ago," another Axon had spoken.

"We wanted to help," the female added. "We thought the Earth could use our help."

"But the Earthlings are a greedy race," a male Axon said. "They wanted to exploit our gifts. To destroy their own people, to destroy us."

"It's what Earthlings do," a male Axon said, with icy contempt. "They destroy."

"Yes, but what about the Doctor?" Nikras reminded them. "It's just … him and the female, they didn't exactly seem all that threatening."

"As we said earlier, appearances are deceptive," the male Axon smiled, touching Nikras's shoulder. Nikras flinched a little, moved away but realised this was a mistake and tried to do some damage control.

"You're right of course," Nikras smiled insincerely. "When will the launch of the Axonite take place?"

"Exactly one hour on top of the hills," the female smiled, equally as false. "Trevolus has such beautiful hills. Majestic even."

"Yes we do," Nikras continued his fake smile. "I will prepare myself. If this works, we will owe you the Axon race an immense debt."

"Think nothing of it."

Nikras didn't hear them or even see them sinisterly smile at him as he ran away. They watched him, knowing that something wasn't right. Not for one second did they buy his false smile or urgency to prepare himself. He was up to something and they were going to nix it quickly.

"I think he's going to be trouble," the female Axon said. "He seemed unconvinced by our motives."

"I'll follow him," a slender male Axon replied. "He so much as smiles too shallow and I'll obliterate him."

"Nothing can go wrong," the lead Axon said. "If you kill him, make sure they are no witnesses."

Lucie struggled harder and harder with her restraints, doing her best to kick out to no avail. The Master just gave her a withering look of disapproval. The Doctor had been taken away to endure some mental tortures. It was clear that the Axons wanted to extract some information out of him.

"That will do you no good, child," the Master tutted condescendingly. "If it did, we'd all be free by now."

"Unless you have any better ideas," Lucie snapped, "I'd shut it if I were you. You might deserve to be the Axons prisoner but me and the Doctor sure as hell don't."

"Confident young lady, aren't you?" the Master smirked. Once again, the Doctor chose a mouthy human with no sense. "I can see why he likes you."

"That bothers you, doesn't it?" Lucie asked. Before he had been taken away, the Doctor had given Lucie enough details about the Master, most of which the Master responded to by boasting of his achievements. Right now, he was the last person Lucie wanted to be imprisoned with.

The Master gave her a withering look and concentrated on getting free. He was not going to be stuck on this ship with the Axons or Lucie Miller for any longer. He had to escape before the Axons got round to dealing with him.

Nikras had impressed himself upon exploring the outside of the ship. He had known that he was being followed and that if he didn't keep moving, that he would be killed as well.

He didn't trust the Axons. Something about them felt wrong and the Axonite seemed too good to be true. He had enough encounters with other races and rarely was any of them benevolent and the ones that claimed they were usually were lying. He could give the Axons the benefit of the doubt and even buy into the idea that they might actually want to help but he also knew to trust his instincts as well.

Then there was the Doctor and that young woman with him. They were also strange and as much of a question mark as the Axons. The insistence of the Axons snatching them before they could say anything made him wonder. He needed to talk to that man and female companion but to do that he needed to get into the ship.

"Are you lost?" the male Axon, with a gun pointed at Nikras had asked. Nikras looked at him warily.

"I want to see the Doctor," Nikras said simply. "If you let me in the ship I can talk to him."

"Whatever for?"

"In case you've forgotten, this is my planet," Nikras said with an authorative streak in his voice. "And if this Doctor is as dangerous as you say he is, I want to know firsthand. I don't think that's an unreasonable request, do you?"

The Axon thought long and hard. It would be easier to keep Nikras out of the way long enough for the Axonite to change the planet rather than kill him.

"Follow me."

Once inside the ship, Nikras had knocked out the male Axon and took his gun before dragging the unconscious creature and leaving him a room before bolting it shut. Running down a corridor, he could hear someone screaming, as if they were being tortured.

"It doesn't matter what you do, you'll never learn the secrets of time travel," the Doctor sighed in desperation. "I can't give you that information."

"Then we can extract -," the Axon said before being shot. It let out a painful gasp before slumping to the floor.

Nikras went over and released the Doctor, stopping the man from falling down. The Doctor thanked him.

"I guess you were right about the Axons," Nikras said.

"I need to get Lucie," the Doctor said before running out into the hall and down several corridors. Nikras followed him, managing to keep up but he was surprised with how agile the Doctor was considering that he had just been tortured.

"Who's your friend?" Lucie asked as the Doctor managed to free her with the aid of his sonic screwdriver.

"I'm Nikras."

"Lucie," the young woman smiled as she shook Nikras's hand.

"I don't suppose you're going to free me, are you?" the Master asked the Doctor impatiently. Nikras gave him a wary look. "Is he?"

"Dangerous," the Doctor said simply. It was enough to make the Master smile.

"Not to be trusted," Lucie said, indicating to Nikras that the Master was a bad one.

"You going to stop the Axons all by yourself?" the Master asked his old enemy.

"Why would you want to help?" the Doctor asked.

"Because I want to live, Doctor," the Master said. "And you need my help. These human companions of yours aren't that good."

Lucie gave him a scathing look but refrained from saying anything.

The Doctor paused for a second before freeing the Master. Nikras kept a gun aimed at the other Time Lord on Lucie's say so.

"No tricks," the Doctor said, warningly. "You help us with the Axons and then you hand yourself over to the High Council. That's the only deal on the table."

The Master looked at the Doctor, Lucie and Nikras in annoyance but reluctantly agreed, allowing himself to be lead out by a seemingly trigger happy Nikras. He'd let them think he was doing them a favour, let the Doctor think he had control of the situation at hand but as soon as the moment arose (and he knew it would because past situations have always allowed escape opportunities), he'd flee by TARDIS, leaving the Doctor and Lucie stranded on this godforsaken planet.

At the top of the hill, the Axons had surrounded the villagers, making it hard for them to escape. The lead Axon smiled at the stupidity of these folk. How they couldn't have seen such an obvious trap amused him to no end. The looks on their faces more than indicated their regret in trusting the Axons.

"You chose to accept our gifts," the Axon leader smiled. "And we want your planet in return."

"You can't have it," a villager had spoken before being annihilated on the spot.

"I didn't ask," the Axon leader sneered as it began to look at the Axonite, deciding where would be perfect to pour it, to make this world their own. This place would now be a second home after Axos.

"I really wouldn't if I were you," a voice came from the crowd. The Axons looked up. It was an unwelcome voice. It was the Doctor.

"How did you?" the lead Axon asked, his voice affronted as he noticed the Master as well with the other Time Lord. "And you?"

"Did you really think you could contain me?" the Master smirked, dripping sarcasm. Lucie looked at him with disdain, a look shared by Nikras.

"Remind me why we let him go again," Lucie muttered to the Doctor.

"Um," the Doctor started, then trailed off, before pulling the Master aside. "This isn't the place."

"And what would you know of place, Doctor?" the Axon sneered. "You never stay in the same one."

"I could say the same about you," the Doctor moved through the crowd, with Lucie and Nikras in tow. "This is how many planets you've tried to offload Axonite onto now?"

"Three," a female voice raised. "Our last attempt after you thwarted our attempts with the Earth failed. It …"

"It obliterated," the Master interrupted, his smirk becoming wider with glee. "Heard you lot talking. The planet's surface wasn't compatible with your precious material. Burnt the entire planet, even killed some of the Axons themselves."

"This is irrelevant," the lead Axon snapped. "This planet's surface is compatible with Axonite and it will be turned. Your disruption will not hinder our cause."

"I'm asking you to leave this planet," the Doctor said. "Emphasis on the asking part. There are plenty of unoccupied worlds out there where you could use the Axonite without anyone having to die."

"We don't want those worlds, Doctor," a female Axon had spoken. "Not yet anyway."

"Why not?" Nikras asked. "Why is our planet so special that you'd have us all killed for it?"

The Axons smiled. Neither the Doctor, Lucie nor Nikras were impressed with their lack of a forthcoming answer.

"He asked you a question," Lucie said. "Why their world?"

"The snow," the Axons said. "With it, we can not only infect this world but thousands of worlds. Something about the snow on this planet mixes with the Axonite. Makes it stronger."

"So you can expand," the Doctor said. "And then what, obliterate us all?"

"Things change," the Axon leader pointed out. "We progress while the rest of the species in this universe remain stunted as always."

"Now that's something I can agree on," the Master smirked before grabbing Lucie and pulling a sonic screwdriver to her throat. "How about I offer you the female as a test subject in exchange for amnesty? See, how she evolves."

Lucie struggled in the Master's grip while giving him a look of pure hatred. "Don't you dare."

"I knew you'd turn on us," the Doctor grimaced, looking at his enemy. "If anything happens to her."

"Request denied," the Axon smiled before pointing to shoot at the both of them.

"Oh no you don't," the Master growled, throwing Lucie to the Doctor before lunging at the Axons in a savage attack. He grabbed the Axonite and aimed the screwdriver at it.

"It looks like I'm in control again," the Master said happily at the villagers, Nikras, the Axons, the Doctor and Lucie. "Everyone do as I say."

"What do you want?" the Doctor said. The Master glared at him, daring him not to move or come any closer.

"Right now, I'll settle for getting off this planet and never seeing any of you lot ever again," the Master said before turning to the villagers. "Oh don't worry, I hold no interest in decimating your pathetic little planet. I have far bigger fish to fry. I think it's time you and I headed back to Gallifrey, don't you, Doctor?"

"They'll arrest you on sight," the Doctor reminded him. "I don't think that's what you want."

"They'll be too busy dealing with them," the Master pointed at the Axons. "That's right, you're coming to — as my foot soldiers. Serve me well and I might consider sparing your lives. Try to stop me and I'll use your precious Axonite to blow you all to pieces."

"What about me?" Lucie said. "Where do I fit into this?"

"Ah yes, the Doctor's latest companion," the Master sneered patronisingly at her. "I'm sorry Lucie but I have no use for you. I guess you're going to have to die."

"Think again," Lucie smiled. While the Master had been distracted enough to taunt the Doctor and the Axons, Lucie had bent down to pick up a rock.

It might not have been the most sophisticated choice for a weapon but Lucie effectively knew that with her strength and anger right now, her aim would definitely leave a mark. The Master didn't have time for a scathing riposte as Lucie swung the rock, aiming for his shoulders, smacking him hard.

Before the Axonite could drop to the ground, Nikras had managed to pull it away from the Master. The Master went to attack the man before the Doctor pulled him away and aimed the sonic screwdriver at his throat.

"We are leaving," the Doctor said, handcuffing the Master and moving him along. Nikras gave the Axonite to Lucie.

"You are not leaving until you hand over what's ours," the Axons yelled in anger. "That Axonite belongs to us."

"I'm sure the Shadow Proclamation might have another opinion," the Doctor said. "Before I asked, now I'm telling you — leave this planet or there will be consequences."

"This isn't the last you'll hear from us, Doctor," the Axons said wrathfully as they headed back to their ship. "We will meet again."

"I don't doubt that," the Doctor watched as the Axons headed back into their ship, waiting for them to leave Trevolus for good.

"Thank you," Nikras said, shaking the Doctor's hand. The Doctor smiled.

"It's Lucie who you should be thanking," he then said. Nikras shook Lucie's hands.

Inside the TARDIS, the Master had been bound to a chair, testing the give of his restraints. Lucie kept an eye on him.

"This will never work, Doctor," the Master said. "You send me back to Gallifrey, you might as well just kill me yourself."

"It's what you were planning to do to me," the Doctor said. "If you had gotten your way, you would've used the Axons to kill the High Council. I'm at least giving you the chance of a fair trial."

"Need I point out that I saved you from being executed by a 'fair' trial?" the Master pointed. "I stopped the Valeyard from having you killed, the least you can do is let me go."

"Why?" Lucie asked. "We let you go, all you're gonna do is kill again."

The Master sighed and then he smiled in a calculated way. "I was going to do this the nice way. Make the both of you think that you had an actual choice in the matter but I've grown weary of this farce. You are not sending me back to Gallifrey, Doctor. I won't die by Axon hands and I certainly won't die by the High Council."

Before the Doctor could answer, he realised that the Master was no longer tied to the chair. This time he had pointed a gun at the both of them. Lucie and the Doctor put their hands in surrender.

"More tricks," the Doctor tutted disapprovingly. "You never learn, do you?"

"Oh but I do, Doctor," the Master smiled, pulling out a time vortex manipulator. "Looks like the Axons won't be the only ones meeting you again. I'll take this for extra insurance. You have no use for it."

"No, you don't," the Doctor screamed, his timing too late. "Master!"

The Master disappeared with the Axonite before either the Doctor or Lucie were able to stop him. The TARDIS then shook and an explosion echoed, shaking them even further.

"What the hell was that?" Lucie gasped. The Doctor ran over to the monitor and when Lucie looked at him, he face was ashen with shock. "Doctor, what is it? What did he do?"

"The Axons," the Doctor said, his voice trembling as other thoughts dawned on him. "He blew up their ship. They were leaving. He killed them. Nothing could've survived that blast."

"We did," Lucie said. "I know, TARDIS shielding and all, but we did. Maybe the Master survived too."

"Maybe," the Doctor said as he changed the monitor. "It wouldn't be the first time, he's rose from the ashes."

He couldn't look at the burnt remains of the vessel, of the dead Axons, some of the char grilled remains floating like atoms in space. The Master had a penchant of surviving dire situations. Lucie might have been right. Maybe he did survive the blast but was that a good thing?

The Master represented everything wrong with the Time Lords but at the same time, the Doctor often wondered if a universe without him was possible, was even worth thinking about. It wasn't just because he was another Time Lord.

Before they had been great enemies, they had been great friends. The Doctor knew he could never get that friendship back and now if the Master was dead, then things really were over. Lucie gave the Doctor a forlorn look of empathy. She couldn't bring herself to sympathise with the Master but she hated seeing the Doctor like this as well. Neither said anything as they removed themselves from the wreckage.

- The End -


End file.
